Earth Day Activities and Projects for Kids

By Alexa Bigwarfe

My mom friends and I had one of the most fun playdates last Earth Day, packed with activities for kids and parents both. It was a fun opportunity to teach the kids about the earth, recycling, and even gardening. We made crafts and had a sensory experience through digging in dirt and planting seeds.

These activities can be done with children of all ages. The younger ones required a little help, but were still able to participate.

The Helping Hands Wreath

What you need:

Paper plates

Green and blue crayons or markers

1 sheet of globe templates per child (get the template here)

Plain white paper

Scissors

Yarn

How to do it:

1. Color your sheet blue and green.

2. Trace your child’s hand on the colored paper.

3. Cut out the handprint, and trace it five more times. Cut out so that you have six handprints.

4. Cut out the globes and paste one on each handprint.

5. Cut the center out of the paper plate.

6. Glue the handprints around the plate. Punch holes in the top and run the yarn through to make a hanger.

While some children were working on wreaths, the other kids were out in the backyard playing in the dirt.

We planted seeds in two types of containers: egg crates and baby food jars.

What you need:

Empty egg crates

Empty baby food jars

Planting soil

Spoons

Seeds

How to do it:

1. Place the dirt in a bucket or other container that is easy for the kids to access. Let the kids use the spoons to fill up their container with dirt.

2. Once their container is filled, show them how to dig a tiny hole for the seeds and put the seeds in their container.

3. If you’re feeling really adventurous, they can paint their jars before adding the dirt.

4. Praise them for planting their first garden!

Other fun Earth day activities could include planting trees, doing a neighborhood clean-up (with older kids), having an electronics-free day to save energy, or other similar activities to teach your children the importance of taking care of the earth and her resources!

Alexa Bigwarfe is a freelance writer, wife, the mother of three young children, and a dog owner. In addition to recycling and hugging trees, she enjoys writing about children’s health and environmental issues.